Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
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| Marvel: Ultimate Alliance | |
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| Developer(s) | Raven Software Vicarious Visions Beenox Studios Barking Lizards Technologies |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Release date(s) |    October 24, 2006 (PC, PS2, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360, GBA) November 6, 2006 (PS3)Wii: Worldwide: The game is available in more countries nowadays. |
| Genre(s) | Action RPG/ Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer, Online |
| Rating(s) | ESRB : Teen (T) ESRB: Everyone +10 (E+10) (Game Boy Advance version) |
| Platform(s) | PC, Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox, Xbox 360, Game Boy Advance |
| Media | CD, BD-ROM, DVD-ROM, UMD |
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is an action role-playing game released by Raven Software and Activision in October 2006 in U.S. Previously referred to as Marvel Legends, this game features over 24 playable characters and 140 character appearances.
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[edit] Story
Dr. Doom has formed a new Masters of Evil (consisting of Loki, Ultron, Baron Mordo, Enchantress, and many more) in pursuit of an unknown goal. They then launch an attack on a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. Nick Fury sends out a distress call to all available superhumans. Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man and Wolverine respond and proceed to eliminate Doom's forces. After saving the helicarrier, Nick is given the OK by the government to create a special task force of superhumans to counter the Masters of Evil. Since the helicarrier is too badly damaged to serve as an HQ, Iron Man gives Nick permission to use Stark Towers. The task force's first mission is to sneak onboard the SHIELD Omega Base, a massive, mobile laboratory containing many top secret experiments, and prevent the Masters from smashing it into a dam. Following that, the Heroes travel through Murderworld, Mephisto's Realm, Asgard and other places to stop the Masters; however, they are unable to prevent Dr Doom from acquiring the powers of Odin. Thanks to Uatu the Watcher, the heroes manage to acquire some devices to stop Doom, but in doing this they incur the wrath of Galactus.
[edit] Features
The game features over 140 characters from the Marvel Universe. Players are able to create teams, and have online and co-operative play, for up to 4 players. In arcade mode players will have to fight for the most kills in order to get the experience points at the end of the level. There are also special comic book missions, revisiting a moment in a character's past and facing a classic arch rival. Characters may have up to four costumes, which can alter the stats of the character.
Players will fight in mid air, underwater and on the ground, with fully destructible and interactive environments in over 17 locations, traveling around different locales on planet Earth, different dimensions, and even the depths of space by the end of the game. The game has alternative endings, affected by the decisions the player(s) make throughout the game. These endings are based on whether or not the player chooses to complete optional missions.
The game is quite rewarding for fans of Marvel's characters, providing lots of bonuses and nods to knowledgeable fans who know their comic history. Putting together teams of characters who have a shared history together, for example, may give team bonuses(ex. using Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and Spider-Woman on the same team would yield you the Avengers, giving you a boost in attack damage for all team members). Using particular characters to interact with other NPCs can also yield additional dialogue, and villains will also react accordingly when met with their nemeses(for example, Bullseye will talk directly to Elektra upon seeing her in the first chapter). The game also features trivia games, artwork and many more nods to the Marvel Universe.
While many characters in the game by default have their Ultimate Marvel look, the game is actually set in the original Marvel Universe, as evidenced by its many villains and references to events in original Marvel continuity(for example, Galactus is the original Marvel Universe's version, not Ultimate Marvel's hive-minded robotic version).
[edit] Versions
The game is available for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Playstation 2, Playstation Portable, PlayStation 3, Game Boy Advance, Wii and PC. The graphical engine and looks will differ between the various platforms. For the 6th gen consoles (PS2 and Xbox), characters models will be similar to X-Men Legends II style. The 7th generation (PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360) versions will feature more detailed character models and environments. The PC version will vary depending on the customization of a user's settings, at maximum settings and shaders with premium hardware, the PC graphics will be similar to or better than the 7th gen. The PC version also features "intuitive mouse controls" [1] and works with a gamepad.
There are exclusive characters on the GBA, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3. The PSP has four exclusive characters, the GBA has two exclusive characters, and the three next-gen systems share two exclusive characters. Moon Knight and Colossus (the next-gen exclusive characters) are now playable on the PC version as well with a game mod.
[edit] GBA
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance's graphics are reduced to a lower graphics quality for the GBA version.
- Just like the other versions, players can switch between any character during the game. Players can also create their own team involving only 3 characters. Also, some characters aren't available on the GBA, such as Black Panther. [2]
- The same exact gameplay as in other versions; players can do major upgradings on characters and tactics, as well as build their reputation points.
- Exclusive to the GBA version:
- Players can call in a striker, which performs devastating attacks directed toward on-screen enemies.
- Two exclusive characters: Jean Grey and Namor.
- Interactive environments; players can take advantages and use this to track their enemies.
- Some additional gameplay modes added including: S.H.I.E.L.D. Simulator, Time Challenges, Scavenger Hunts, and a Survival mode.
[edit] PSP
The PSP version features simplified graphics, different characters, and extra features:
- Four exclusive playable Marvel characters: Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Hawkeye and Ronin
- One exclusive comic book villain: Swordsman
- 6 special comic book missions
- Microphone support (voice chat), via which players can speak with other players online
- Online-recordable player statistics
- Exclusive prequel missions
- Three exclusive single-player gameplay modes
[edit] Wii
The Wii version features:
- Specific motion-sensitive controls for normal moves
- Motion-sensitive controlled Special attacks, unique for each character
- Access to any special move at any time, which is unavailable for any other build. (The only other version to use this would be the PC version.)
- There is no online play, but there is a normal multiplayer mode in which up to four players may play at once.
[edit] Characters
While Ultimate Alliance follows in the footsteps of Raven Software's X-Men Legends games, it has a broader scope of inclusion, adding playable heroes from Marvel Comics' other popular comics, including Spider-Man, many different members of the Avengers, and the entire Fantastic Four. In addition, each character has four different costumes. Most of these extra costumes are different costumes characters have had in their comics appearances; for example, Spider-Man has his black symbiote costume and his red and gold "Iron Spider" costume, as well as his classic red and blue costume. Some of the costumes are alternate versions of the same character or even entirely separate characters with similar powers or appearance: for example, many characters appear in their Ultimate versions, and both versions of the character Spider-Woman as well as the MC2 character Spider-Girl are available via the costume change feature.
While all versions of Ultimate Alliance share a common core of initially-available and unlockable characters, many of the different versions have exclusive characters. The PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox versions have only the basic core, while the PlayStation Portable version adds four characters, the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii versions share a pair of exclusive characters, and the Game Boy Advance version has two exclusive characters while lacking some of the unlockable characters.
Characters that appear as alternate costumes are listed under the original character.
- All playable characters have four different costumes, except Moon Knight, who has three.
Characters with a "*" are not available at the beginning of the game, and become available during gameplay. All characters in italics are costume changes for other characters.
| Playable Characters | ||||
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| Unlockable Characters | PSP Only | PS3, Xbox 360 & Wii Only | GameBoy Advance Only | |
| Non Player Characters | ||||
| Villains | ||||
[edit] Voice actors
[edit] Locations
It's important to note that despite the game's title, the game does not take place in the Ultimate universe. Also, there is no word that it definitively takes place in the Earth-616 universe or the X-Men Legends universe.
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[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance's official site
- Gamespot trailer for the game
- IGN: PS3
- 1up look into M:UA
- Gamespy information on M:UA
- Wii trailer at GameTrailers
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Superguide for XBOX 360
- IGN: Ultimate Alliance Costume Parade (gallery of 6 different character costumes)
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance at MobyGames
Categories: 2006 computer and video games | Hulk video games | Captain America video games | Computer and video games based on Marvel Comics | Computer and video games featuring cooperative gameplay | Fantastic Four video games | Game Boy Advance games | Iron Man video games | PlayStation 2 games | PlayStation 3 games | PlayStation Portable games | Spider-Man video games | Wii games | Windows games | Xbox games | Xbox 360 games | X-Men games
